“Of course you’re welcome, my dear Kait. I love you, too,” said Carenna warmly.
“Now tell me about your grumpy bear,” teased Kait.
Carenna laughed. “Signal’s breaking up, gotta go! Love you, talk to you later!” Carenna disconnected.
“Bitch,” laughed Kait, and put her phone down. “Okay, Kait,” she said to herself, “time for a workout, a meal, and to work out what the hell you’re going to say to Aurelian tonight.”
***
At 7:55 p.m., Kait was once more standing in the foyer to Aurelian’s apartment building.I wonder what would happen if I was late. Maybe I should do it on purpose, just to find out. She surprised herself a little. She was curious about the dynamics of power exchange and what they revealed about her own personality.
Kait reached down to lift the heart pendant to her lips, and the movement saved her life. The cord that would have snared her throat caught her wrist, and, although she was stunned by the body crashing into her from behind, she was not immediately incapacitated. She gasped and pulled at the cord still half-strangling her and tried to keep her balance, choking and coughing. Then a shock passed through her body, and she passed out.
***
When Kait opened her eyes again, she was on Aurelian’s sofa, wrapped in a blanket. Aurelian was applying a cold cloth to the back of her neck, looking concerned.
“Kait, I’m so sorry. I had to save you, and there was no time to separate you from your attacker. So the shockrod got both of you. He got the worst of it, but some of the current went into you, I’m afraid. I must apologize.”
Kait was still trying to process his words. The sides of her neck felt like they were on fire. “Water,” she croaked. “Can I get some water?”
“Of course.” Aurelian moved quickly to the kitchen. Kait felt her throat. Her necklace was gone. She sat bolt upright. “My pendant!”
“It’s on the coffee table,” said Aurelian as he returned with a glass of water. “It was ripped off in the struggle.” He picked up the heart pendant and looked at the inscription. “K&T,” he read. He looked at her. “I assume that stands for Kait and Talia.”
Kait felt as if she had been drenched in ice water. “W-what?”
Aurelian’s face showed a certain amount of sympathy. “It’s okay, Kait,” he said. “Trust me, it really is okay. But we do have a great deal to talk about.”
Oddly enough, the shock brought Kait abruptly back to a sense of control. “Yes, Aurelian, we do.” She took a sip of water, wincing at the soreness in her throat. “So, can we please start with what the hell just happened?”
He nodded. “Fair enough. As you stood in the foyer, you were the victim of what I assume was an attempted murder. I happened to be looking at the foyer security cam and saw the attack. Your attacker was so involved in his struggle with you, he didn’t even see me coming. Fortunately, I have a shockrod for home protection, and he caught a heavy charge. You caught the residuals, unfortunately, and here we are.”
Kait shivered at the thought of her narrow escape. “So, who is he? Andwhereis he?”
Aurelian frowned. “I’m not sure who he is. He’s a Shazlik, by the way—they often hire out as assassins. So, it was meant to be a professional job. I’ve got him restrained in my, ahem, playroom.”
Kait looked at him incredulously.
Aurelian shrugged. “What can I tell you? It wasn’t designed to be multipurpose, but it’s good for the job at hand. He’s out cold and will be for a while. No identification or property on him, except for this.” He tossed an object on the table, a length of wire with wooden grips on either end. “Strangler’s cord,” he said casually. “Certainly the tool of a professional.”
Kait looked at the ugly object on the coffee table and felt a little hazy. The blood rushed from her face.
“Whoa, whoa,” exclaimed Aurelian, quickly pocketing the cord and helping Kait to recline. “Sorry about that,” he said, “foolish of me to just throw it in front of you. Would you like something stronger than water?”
“Brandy, please,” said Kait, a bit huskily. He returned with a tumbler. Kait took a sip and immediately felt a bit better.
“Okay,” she said, sitting up straighter. “We know the who and the how. But what about thewhy?”
Aurelian’s expression turned grim. “That’s where it gets tougher, I imagine. I have some suspicions I would like to share with you.”
“Please, go on,” said Kait.
“First, I believe you were to be murdered because of your investigation into your sister’s death.”
Kait started to speak, but Aurelian put up his hand to forestall her.
“Please, let me finish. Whoever was responsible for Talia’s murder discovered who you were and what you were doing and decided to finish you off. The fact they decided to do it here, in front of my apartment building, was not coincidental. I believe they intended to frame me for your murder, just as they tried to frame me for Talia’s death.”
